Blog #82 Taking Good Care of Ourselves During the
Holiday Season and Beyond
Sometimes, overwhelmed with visiting friends and
relatives, shopping for presents, and overstimulated by the commercial messages
all around us to buy, buy, buy, we forget to take care of ourselves during the
holidays. This leaves us with problems
like a few extra pounds (possibly from over-indulging in rich, sugar laden
foods), abdominal cramping (possibly from an over-burdened gall bladder or food
sensitivities), headaches, anxiety and depression (possibly from interpersonal
stress and inner turmoil), and low back pain (possibly from sitting long hours
in a car or plane or bus on our trips to vacation and visit family and friends).
I have a few things to share in this blog. The equinoxes and the solstices are
particularly special and powerful times, heralding major seasonal changes as
well as marking the Sun’s relationship to the Earth. The Winter Solstice, which
occurs on December 21st coincides with many major holidays, including
Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza and New Year’s.
It is a time that puts a little extra stress on the body and mind. This extra stress makes the toxins and
challenges we encounter over the winter holidays a little more powerful and
problematic for our physical and mental
health and stability.
In the Northern hemisphere, people acknowledge the
returning sun/lights with decorations or candles or celebratory fires around
the Winter Solstice, when there is more darkness than at any other time. Knowing that the sun’s influence starts to
increase after the solstice may help us tolerate cold weather a little better
than we would otherwise. Gathering with
loved ones may sometimes also be helpful, if it allows us to feel more
supported at this potentially hazardous time of year.
During the winter holidays, it is important to take
care of ourselves while traveling, by stretching and preferably standing up and
walking around at least once per hour, if possible. It is also important to eat as healthfully and
to get sufficient sleep. Taking time for
mental clarity and inspiration, through such activities as reading, meditation,
walking in nature, or listening to upbeat or uplifting music, can support and
strengthen us. Celebration is great, but
overindulging in alcohol or in rich, greasy foods may make us feel ill later
on.
According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) when
the body receives an insult or stress, the resultant damage will show up during
the following season, in this case, the spring.
Usually, springtime is considered the best time to detoxify. To jumpstart your health, you might want to
begin thinking of a spring cleaning, starting in late winter to early
spring. Even just eating strictly vegan,
organic, and sugar and gluten-free for a week or so can be helpful. Make sure to consume many dark leafy green
vegetables and drink lots of water. A
short water or vegetable juice fast may also be helpful, depending on your age,
state of health, lifestyle, and degree of commitment to the fast. Another option is the fasting mimicking diet,
developed by Dr. Valter Longo, from the University of Southern California. This five- day program provides pre-selected
and prepared meals designed to affect the body in a way that mimics water
fasting. It is appropriate for those who
are unable to or choose not to do a more stringent fast or detoxification. Check out the Valter Longo Foundation to
learn more.
This blog’s offer:
I will be trying out Dr. Longo’s fasting mimicking five day program in
mid-January 2019, and would be glad to share my experiences and
suggestions. Feel free to contact me
with questions about this and about detoxification in general. And have a happy, healthy New Year.
